Stories From the Field: Social Resources

America’s social resources are its people, and the BLM provides vital services to Americans through recreation; access to public lands and resources and myriad volunteer, partnership and educational opportunities.

Just a few decades ago, BLM public lands were truly the lands that no one knew—few people were aware of what they offered and they were only occasionally visited by the recreating public. That is no longer the case.

The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City, Oregon (Vale District), was an effort that took the BLM and ambitious community leaders working together to create a center that would consistently draw tourists to the rural, relatively remote location.

With the tens of thousands of miles of two-track roads on public lands that provide access to a variety of destinations within many different landscapes, the public loves the freedom of travel on BLM lands.

Most BLM-managed roads did not meet the paving requirements to qualify as national scenic byways; however, they certainly did meet the scenic criteria. With this in mind, we hit on “back country byways.”

One major characteristic that makes the Shelf Road climbing area so special, as many visiting climbers have noted, is that it is one of the best managed and cared-for rock climbing areas in the nation.